2 fishfinders on one yak?

[chex]

I'd like to put a second fishfinder on my tandem yak so that my passenger can also have the intel. Are the 2 ffs going to interfere with each other?

[Yak Fish]

I think you can get away with 2 head units and 1 transducer if that's what you are looking to do. I believe they sell splitters for the transducer but I'm not really sure. They do sell switches if you have 2 transducers and 1 head unit so I don't know why they wouldn't do the opposite. Guys that run bass boats have a ff in the front and one in the back.

[Southerly]

not 100% sure. but i've fished right next to other yaks with FF w/o any noticeable effect.

i even have theory why - ea sonar is looking for its own return very precisely; that's how it does its job - with tiniest differences in return time, ie not just looking for random returns and guessing any old thing.

otherwise, seems like it should interfere but i haven't experienced it so far. but i like the idea ($) of splitter.

[fredneckyaker]

We've got two on a boat and dont have any problems. But i thought the idea was to out fish the competition

[chex]

Cool. Sounds like it should work. Thx!

[DOGFISH]

That should work. It would be like setting up a mini network system, similar to those used on boats. Might need a little more juice from a battery. However, that should be simple to obtain. Good luck.

[tufnik]

This is an interesting question, and I think this can be tricky. I've heard users say they have problems and other users say they don't have problems when using two FFs on a single watercraft.

If you think about it, assuming two FFs operate at the same frequency, the reflected signals can be read by both FFs. Each FF is expecting the same frequency bounced off various objects. How does a FF know if the bounced signal is from another FF if the bounced signal is at the same frequency? Varying amplitudes and timing of the bounced signed only tell the FF what and how to display.

If two FFs on a single watercraft don't have any problems, it could be that they're painting the same picture based on two bounced signals that are nearly identical.

Anyway, based on what I've read, I think FF issues (bounced signal reception and other non-intentional interference) depends on a lot of factors (e.g., brand, frequency, depth, configuration, installation, angle). Bottom line: could be hit or miss.

[chimo]

[QUOTE Bottom line: could be hit or miss.[/QUOTE]

This can be a big issue ice fishing when multiple units are in very close proximity to each other. I'm not well versed on the specifics of the issue, just know it can happen. A lot of the units built for ice fishing have interference rejection to deal with it. I know I can't fish very close to other units with my Lowrance X-67C or all I will get is marks throughout the water column even though it will still accurately mark the bottom. I would think the best solution would be a splitter and another head unit for the front passenger like Yak Fish mentioned.

Chimo

[HJS]

We've got two on a boat and dont have any problems. But i thought the idea was to out fish the competition

The trick here is to set the second FF on "Demo"... and don't tell your partner.

[fredneckyaker]

haha. good idea

The trick here is to set the second FF on "Demo"... and don't tell your partner.